Humor and Tragedy Smash Together in Black Hammer from Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston

Every so often, you read a comic that grabs hold of you and won't let go. Its world is fascinating, its characters are captivating and its art is mesmerizing. You just can't get enough of it. There are mysteries that dig their hooks into your brain and tug you along, leaving you thinking about them hours after you put the book down.

Black Hammer, by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Dean Ormston, is that kind of comic. I was actually sent the first three issues in preparation for this interview, but I told myself I would just read the first so I wouldn't ask questions about something that readers wouldn't be seeing for months. I wound up blazing through all three issues and got a little depressed when I reached the end and there was no more. I simply couldn't stand not knowing what happens next. I always marveled at Lemire's Sweet Tooth for being so gripping and readable, and now he's captured that magic again.

Black Hammer #1 cover by Dean Ormston

The story sees a group of superheroes trapped in the town of Black Hammer, named after the hero who gave up his live to save the world. Only, while the world was saved, the team of superheroes was sent to this mysterious town they can't seem to leave. One character, a robot named Talky Walky, even sends probes to the outskirts of town trying to figure out just where they are. Each character is an analogue for a superhero you're well-familiar with, yet in the grand tradition of comic books, they all suffer from a downside to their gifts. Golden Gail was a woman who could "Shazam!" into a super-powered little girl, but now she's a fully grown adult stuck in a little girl's body and her powers won't work. Another hero can become ethereal and travel to another dimension, but his mind is breaking down, leaving him a shell of who he used to be. Who knew being a superhero could be such a drag?

But for as bleak as Black Hammer can be, it's also filled with surprise bits of humor and Lemire's signature moments of family bonding/fighting/loving. I won't tell you anymore, as watching the story unfold is what makes the comic so good.

I conducted an email interview with Lemire and Ormston to talk about where this idea came from, where the sense of humor comes from, and what was the genesis for the superhero designs.

We've also got your exclusive look at the covers for Black Hammer #4 and 5, plus two interior pages from Issue #1. First order cutoff is June 27, and the Issue #1 goes on sale July 20.

IGN Comics: This story has several layers to it. There’s the classic superheroes, the big Crisis on Infinite Earths-type conflict that left them stranded, and the small-town family dynamic. Where did the idea to bring all of these concepts together come from?

Black Hammer #1 interior page by Dean Ormston

Jeff Lemire: I actually came up with Black Hammer back in 2007-2008 as I was finishing my Essex County graphic novels. At the time I planned on doing it as my own next graphic novel that I would write and draw. Back then, I was still only doing indie comics and I never anticipated a day when I would actually be working on mainstream super hero comics like I am now. So Black Hammer was sort of my way of expressing my love for the super hero genre, but filtering it through my own indie style.

Then, as things developed in my career, Black Hammer got put on the back burner so I could focus on doing Sweet Tooth at Vertigo. And, that also led to me writing a lot of mainstream super hero comics since then. But I never forgot Black Hammer and would pull it out and tinker with it once a year or so. But it became obvious that I would never have time to draw it myself, with all the other projects I have lined up to draw now, so I started thinking of doing it with a collaborator.

Dean was one of the first artists I thought of. I’ve loved his work since his Books of Magick: Life During Wartime series at Vertigo and had the chance to meet him at a comics festival in Leeds a few years back. Luckily Dean liked the project and came on board.

So, while it still remains a love letter to the super hero genre, I’m adding my own experiences working into super hero books into the mix of that original concept now too.

IGN: For as quiet and dramatic as the story can be, there’s also a fair bit of humor. Asking if a big probe is Talky Walky’s mate is comedy gold. Were you guys going for a funnier comic with Black Hammer, or did that just organically happen as you went along?

Black Hammer #1 interior page by Dean Ormston

Lemire: The humor just came out of the characters. This is one of those books where I sit down to write and it just writes itself. It’s more like the characters are speaking and I just write it all down as fast as I can. I love these characters and this world so much, it’s a joy to enter it for me. It’s probably the most balanced work I’ve done in that there is humor, sadness, drama and mystery in equal doses.

But you’re right in that Black Hammer has more humor in it than any of my previous work. My work tends to be pretty serious, but people that know me, know that I’m not nearly that serious in person, so it’s fun to be able to inject some fun and humor into this book.

IGN: The theme of family bonds is something we’ve seen in your work before. This is more of a team stuck together and forced to live as a family. Of course that puts tension on the characters, especially the ones that don’t want to be there, but what does that dynamic open up to you as a storyteller?

Lemire: To me the best superhero team books were always metaphors for family, from Fantastic Four to X-Men. So Black Hammer follows in that tradition and then expands on it.

I have always loved telling stories about families. I love the idea of people who may not choose to be together, but are nonetheless bonded for life and forced to interact and develop these relationships. I love the tension throwing different types of people under one roof creates.

IGN: How did you guys come up with the designs for the characters, both their superhero look and their small-town appearance?

Lemire: That was all Dean. I had done sketches and art for the book back in 2008. I showed those to Dean, but told him to take what he wanted and then make it his own. So what ended up in the book was really very different from my original incarnations, and much better.

I think we were certainly playing off of certain super hero archetypes, but filtered through Dean’s singular style these became something else entirely as well. And then adding Dave Stewart to the mix pulls it all together.

Black Hammer #4 cover by Dean Ormston

IGN: Dean, could you talk about how you brought together such bizarre, different looking characters and made them feel part of the same world?

Dean Ormston: Working with six very diverse characters seemed quite daunting but luckily Jeff had already done quite a large amount of work on building the Black Hammer universe. During the development stage I was still working on a book at Vertigo so I had a lot of time and head-space to sketch the look of the characters and environment. To be honest, once I had sketched the farm in all it's decaying beauty, the characters just seemed to fit. Nothing about them, or their surroundings seemed quite normal, plus the idea of them being trapped in this seemingly ordinary town added to the claustrophobic atmosphere.

IGN: The series is called Black Hammer, but we never actually meet him. Is it safe to assume we’ll learn more about what happened to him as we go along?

Lemire: Yes we will. The character of Black Hammer, and what happened to him, will be central to the book and there will be definite answers to all the questions and mysteries we set up in the early issues.

IGN: The standout to me was definitely Golden Gail. The idea of having a reverse-Shazam power is so tragic, who knew? What was the thought behind her character?

Lemire: She seems to be everyone’s favorite. Issue #2 is Gail focused and, I think, expands upon her in a really great way. I loved the tragedy and humor that could come from the idea of a 55-year old woman trapped in the body of an 8-year old. She still has all the desires and needs of an adult woman, but can’t act on most of them. This is incredibly tragic, but also, at times. Pretty funny as well.

Black Hammer #5 cover by Dean Ormston

IGN; Dean, what would you say is the visual tone you’ve created for this series along with colorist Dave Stewart?

Ormston: Dave was our first choice of colorist for the book and this had a large impact on how I approached the overall look of the book. For example, on the first panoramic view of the farm, normally I would have drawn in the stormy oppressive sky, but with Dave onboard I know I can leave space to let him add to the mood. When Dave sent in the first pages of Black Hammer, one thing I noticed that he does is to compliment and magnify an artists's strengths, in my case he enhanced the slightly uneasy and creepy look of the farm and town. His colors look decayed and oppressive. He pitched it perfect. It wouldn't have worked anywhere near as good with shiny special effects or slick Photoshop gradients.

IGN: What would you say to readers directly to get them excited to pick up Black Hammer?

Lemire: I think I can honestly say that Black Hammer is of my favorite thing that I’ve ever done. It combines everything I love about mainstream and indie comics all into one world filled with mystery, humor and drama. As I said, I love this world and love visiting it, and I think all types of comic book fans can too. You don’t need to like super hero comics to enjoy it.

Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.